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Salisbury steak is a quick and easy dinner that has a hearty, homecooked taste.

Many people hold the misconception that salisbury steak originated as a “poor man’s steak”, made by families that could not afford decent cuts of meat, and therefore used “scraps” instead. In actuality, it uses a rather high grade, fairly expensive cut of lean ground meat, and it was named for Dr. James H. Salisbury, one of the first “known” nutritionists. Dr. Salisbury thought that everyone would be healthier if they ate very lean cuts of meat in VERY large quantities and avoided carbohydrates entirely (basically, he was the original “Atkin’s diet” of the early 19th Century!!) .

Salisbury steak is still very popular in the South, where it is traditionally served with gravy and grilled onions, and it remains a common staple of public school lunches and frozen dinners.

Served simply with seasoned steamed veggies, oven baked fries, or light mac and cheese, Salisbury steak is a fast, comforting, satisfying dinner.

1 pound extra lean ground turkey ground beef (try for 93% – 97% lean)

3 tablespoons seasoned dry bread crumbs

1 egg white

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 medium red onion, chopped

8 ounces fresh sliced mushrooms (buying the presliced packages from the produce section is a huge time saver!)

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1 tablespoon flour

1 cup fat-free reduced-sodium beef broth

2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme or parsley (optional)

Combine the ground meat, bread crumbs, egg white, salt and pepper and mix together well. Shape the mixture into 4 patties (about 1/2 thick each).

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and coat well with cooking spray; add the patties to the skillet and cook for about 5 minutes per side (or until no longer pink in the center). Remove the patties from the skillet and set them aside.

Re-coat the same skillet with a little more cooking spray and add the chopped onion. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add the mushrooms and the dried thyme and cook for 3 more minutes (still stirring occasionally). Sprinkle the flour over the onion/mushroom mixture and and stir for 30 seconds; add the broth and bring the mixture to a boil. After the skillet comes to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes (or until the onions and mushrooms are tender and the sauce has thickened a little). With the heat still at a simmer, return the patties to skillet for about 1 -3 minutes to heat through. Serve with sprinkled with fresh thyme or parsley, if desired.

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Makes 4 servings. Per Serving: 253 calories, 9 g total fat, 2.5 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 9 g carbohydrates, 4.5 g fiber, 0 g added sugar, 28 g protein, 382 mg sodium(this will vary depending on how much sodium is in your broth), 49 mg cholesterol